


Light Hope

by ana28



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Set about a generation before Mara's time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24972670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ana28/pseuds/ana28
Summary: A story about Light Hope, imagining that the AI was named after a real person. She lived about a generation before Mara, and was a pioneering scientist whose research was crucial to the Heart of Etheria project. The story follows her relationship with her best friend, Merry, as they both rise through the ranks of the First Ones scientific institutions. She fights to prevent her research from being used for evil.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 2





	1. In My Absence

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is a kind of epilogue, which I thought would work well if it came before the actual story. I've never written fanfic before, so feedback is appreciated :)
> 
> Also: I'm writing this based on the 2018 She-Ra - I know there's a whole show that came before it, but I haven't seen it. This story probably makes no sense in the context of that show, it's just an imagined history for the remake.

Merry wiped back the pasted strands of hair from her forehead, staring at the screen in front of her. She extended a shaky finger, and pressed the button that said ‘execute program’. She was sitting too close, so that when the bluish-purple hologram appeared, its body seemed to surround her in a halo of cold light. Caught off guard, Merry stayed that way for a second, holding up her hand to see it wrapped in Light Hope’s soft glow. She stepped back.

_Greetings, Administrator. My name is Light Hope. What is your query?_

The hologram’s voice was deep and measured.

“Hi, Light Hope. My name’s Merry.”

She’d only managed to stop crying a couple of hours ago, but as she said Hope’s name she felt the tears welling up again.

“Actually, can I just call you Hope?”

_You may, although my official name is Light Hope Heart of Etheria Artificial Intelligence System._

“Boy, Hope would’ve hated that,” Merry whispered to herself. 

_I am sorry, I do not understand. What would I have hated? I am not programmed to experience human emotions._

“No, not you. The other Hope.”

_There is another Light Hope Heart of Etheria Artificial Intelligence System?_

“No. A real woman. You were named after her. But she hated - hates - to be called Light Hope. And she hated…” Merry trailed off.

_Are you alright? You appear to be distressed._

Merry’s face was slick with tears again, and she couldn’t trust her voice. She stared at Light Hope’s symmetrical face, and remembered Hope as she had last seen her - face contorted by fear and anger, brimming with something terrible and unspoken. That shrinking feeling in her stomach was back. 

“No. I’m not alright.”

Merry pulled out her chair and sat down. 

_I am afraid I do not know how to assist you. Perhaps if you described to me the source of your distress, I could find a solution._

“You can’t, OK? You couldn’t.”

As soon as she raised her voice, Merry flinched, going to the door of her cramped office to check if anyone had heard her. The hallway was deserted - it was long after everyone else had packed up. 

“I’m sorry, Hope. I didn’t mean to yell.”

_Do not apologise. My purpose is to assist you._

“Yeah. Right.” 

Merry sat down again, then stood up. She was done now - Light Hope was finished. Slowly, she moved about the office, clearing away the evidence of her hours of sleepless work. Light Hope watched her silently. 

She was stacking the empty mugs crowding her workspace when Light Hope spoke again. 

_May you help me?_

Merry jumped, and the mugs clattered to the floor.

“Excuse me? May _I_ help _you_?”

_Yes. I have been searching, but I am unable to find information in my database about this ‘other Hope’ you speak of. You say I was named after her, but I have no knowledge of this. Why?_

Merry laughed bitterly. “I can’t tell you why. I’d be… well.”

Light Hope looked at her blankly, and Merry suddenly felt sorry for her.

“I can tell you about her, though - would you like that?”

_Yes, that would be satisfactory._

“Hope was a scientist. She made an important discovery for you - for your project. But she was so much more than that. I met her in Academy, when we were both starting Phase 2. She knew even then that she wanted to be remembered as one of the great inventors. She never talked about anything else - she was always studying, always memorising and writing and trying to improve. But we became really close, and for the rest of our lives she had my back, always. Even when I didn’t have hers. She was my best friend.”

_Friend._

Light Hope sounded confused.

“Yeah. You know what that means, don’t you?”

_I am aware of the definition, yes. However, I am unable to access the full meaning of this word, as I am not programmed to experience human emotion._

Merry laughed. “Yeah, your programming is actually pretty basic. It wouldn’t be too hard though - I’m sure they wouldn’t even notice.”

_I am sorry, I do not understand. What would they not notice? To whom are you referring?_

Merry thought for a second, weighing the risks in her head. Light Hope’s figure glowed in the background, like a ghost. 

“Hang on a second, Hope, I’m gonna turn you off for a while. I need to add something to your code.”

Merry switched off the hologram, and drew up her chair. Before long she was deep in concentration, tapping the screen urgently and dictating line after line of new code. 

“Please open Draft 36.5 year 3490 Serenia,” she spoke, her voice growing steady. The file appeared on the screen, blinking as it loaded.

Light Hope wasn’t done. Not yet. 


	2. From the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and Merry meet at Phase 2 orientation, in the academy on the moon Saeril.

Hope was in the atrium at least half an hour before orientation was due to start, examining a detailed holo-map of the Phase 2 Campus by the entrance. It was bigger than the Phase 1 Campus, but the layout was more intuitive - dorm rooms and mess hall on the top level, just above the gym and shower facilities, each level down dedicated to a specific area of study: life sciences level 4, physics level 3, and level 2 was dedicated entirely to the fast-growing field of scientific thaumaturgy. This was the level Hope was interested in, and her gaze was still glued to the map in concentration when the other first-years began to filter in.

“Whatcha looking at?”

Hope didn’t turn at first, assuming the girl with the chirpy voice was talking to someone else. A few seconds passed, though, and no-one else seemed to be answering, so she turned around reluctantly.

“It’s a map of the facilities. Sorry, am I - am I in your way?”

“No, not at all! I’m Merry.”

Hope took Merry’s extended hand, and looked up to make eye contact. She had round, dimpled cheeks, and brown eyes that crinkled in a sincere smile. She was looking at Hope so expectantly that she couldn’t help but smile back, in spite of herself.

“I’m Hope. Are you here for orientation? It’s just that I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Yeah, I am, and you wouldn’t have - I moved here a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh - which Academy?”

Merry paused sheepishly before answering.

“None, actually. My parents didn’t want me out of home that early, so I did my Phase 1 education with them.”

Hope stared at her, not bothering to be polite.

“What? You mean _home_ home, like with your birth parents and everything?”

“Yeah!” Merry giggled. "Honestly, I had no idea it was so unusual before I came here. You’re the third person to look at me like that today.”

“Is it even allowed?”

“Technically, yeah. It’s actually not that uncommon back on Eternia, but mostly among high-up political types. My parents just feel really strongly about that kind of thing, so.”

Hope was hooked.

“You _lived_ on Eternia? What’s it like?”

“I was born there. It’s _so_ different to here - I mean the atmosphere, for one - you can just go outside whenever you want, and the air is so… Well, it’s so _stale_ here. But the people are different, as well—“

As Merry was speaking, other kids began to drift towards her from where they’d been not-eavesdropping, asking wide-eyed questions about the home none of them had ever seen. Seeing this new girl surrounded by eager, excited faces not 10 minutes since her arrival, Hope felt a twinge of something like jealousy. Withdrawing quietly, she watched the clamouring circle around Merry with feigned disinterest. She didn’t need their attention, she told herself, and the new girl was no exception.

A few minutes later, a figure emerged from the hallway at the opposite end of the atrium, and conversations gradually subsided as they drew closer.

“Greetings, students. Welcome to Phase 2 Orientation - I am Gail. I am in charge of student liaison for all Phase 2 students, so any questions or issues regarding your general wellbeing here can be directed to me.”

Hope zoned out a bit for the introductory spiel, having already read this stuff in the Academy’s orientation memo. She floated along with the rest of the group as they were led up the stairs, peering down the tunnel-like hallways to catch a glimpse of some senior students, or a thaumaturgy lab - something interesting. She tried not to listen to the ongoing interview the other students were conducting with their new celebrity, but Merry’s voice was too loud and animated to shut out. She was describing a kind of social event they had back on Eternia, what she called a “party”, where people would gather together and dance to music, talk, and eat - “just for the fun of it”, she said. Hope rolled her eyes. No way that would catch on here, she thought.

They reached the third level, and were directed into a miniature lecture hall next to one of the physics labs. Hope switched on almost instantaneously, craning her neck to see the equations and diagrams etched about the walls all around them. Gail descended the stairs to the lecturer’s platform in the centre, clearing her throat in preparation.

“Ok, students, classes don’t start until next week. But to make sure you’ve been keeping up your study habits during the break period, we’re going to quickly run through some of the Phase 1 essential knowledge, that you’ll be building on in the coming years. You know how it works.”

Everyone in the lecture hall stood up in unison - except Merry, who was in the row directly in front of Hope's. She rose hurriedly, looking around her in confusion.

“Um - Gail? Sorry, but I’m new. Could you explain what we’re doing?”

Hope winced. Gail raised her head, pinpointing Merry’s high-pitched voice among the whispering mass of students.

“First of all, student, you are to address me simply as Teacher. Second, did they not give flash tests at your Phase 1 Academy?”

Merry looked to the other students, as if for support, before answering.

“Uh, no, I - they didn’t. Sorry.”

“Very well - but please try not to cause delays like this in future.”

“Understood.”

“Flash tests are simple. Every student stands up, and each student is given a question to answer at random. If the student is able to answer correctly, they may sit down. If not, they must wait for another question. Any student who requires more than one question will be assigned extra tutorial hours for the next month. Any questions?”

Silence followed, and Gail nodded in curt satisfaction.

“Ursa, first question for you. Can you explain to me the theoretical basis of Kiron’s Law?”

The students were well-practiced at this, and the test proceeded with a familiar rhythm. Question-answer, question-answer, with barely a pause in between. Hope’s turn arrived, and she sat down, surveying the remaining students around her.

“You - new girl. Can you give me an example of a practical application for Iri’s Paradox?”

“I-“ Merry stopped short.

Kids started murmuring around her.

“I’m not sure. I think I’ve forgotten that one.”

Gail moved on without another word, but Merry had drawn attention to herself - this time not in a good way.

The rest of the lecture hall sat down before Gail turned back to Merry.

“Okay. How fast is it possible to travel using conventional fuel crystal technology?”

Merry didn’t answer, once again glancing to the students at her left and right for some kind of support. It wasn’t forthcoming. Half an hour ago the same kids had been falling over each other to get a word with her, but now they just looked embarrassed.

“I don’t know.” Her voice sounded smaller.

“You don’t know. What was your name, again?”

“Meridea.”

Gail sighed, making a note in her enrolment list.

“I’ll sign you up for supplementary instruction, Meridea. Can you please just answer this last question, and then we can leave. Say if I were to weigh an object on the planet Eternia, and it was 5 standard weight units. How much would that same object weigh if I measured it here, on Saeril?”

Merry was silent. Hope heard someone giggle, and she felt her jaw clench. How Merry didn't know the answer to such a basic question, she couldn’t work out. But the smug silence of her peers felt like a betrayal, and she squirmed in her seat, willing for Merry to answer.

“I’ll give you a hint. Saeril has a gravitational force of 0.8.”

Behind her, Hope heard Ursa whispering to the student next to him.

“Is everyone from Eternia this thick?”

Hope couldn’t take this - she’d taken it all through Phase 1, but seeing someone else humiliated was like looking back on her younger self. She reached surreptitiously down to Merry’s row, grazing her arm slightly. Merry flinched, looking around defensively before seeing Hope’s fingers just below her elbow. The tension went out of her face, and she smiled.

“4 standard weight units. Sorry, Teacher, it won’t happen again.”

Filing out of the lecture hall, the buzz of conversation rose up again. Merry tapped Hope on the shoulder, smiling ruefully.

“Hey, thanks - I was really out of my depth back there.”

Hope felt her cheeks grow warm.

“Don’t mention it. You realise it’s only gonna keep happening, right? How did you come to Saeril with almost none of the pre-req knowledge?”

“I- I guess I didn’t realise Phase 1 was so important. I did all the required curriculum, but back on Eternia that’s pretty basic stuff. Most of the kids there go into law or civics anyway. They all think I’m kidding myself thinking I can compete with outer-systems kids in science, and I guess they were right.”

Hope frowned, not sure how to console her without lying.

“Hey, it’s only orientation. If you really work at it - I mean really work - and get some out-of-hours help, I’m sure you could catch up."

“I want to, I really do. But I have a feeling that they’re not that forgiving around here. Asking for help feels a bit like putting a target on my back.”

Hope didn’t answer. They were entering the mess hall now, and Gail had stopped next to a giant chart on the left wall.

Merry touched her shoulder again.

“Hey. I know I’m asking a lot here, but do you think—“

“Ok, students, stop talking please. We’re almost at the end of orientation, but before we leave I need to assign dormitory pairs.”

Hope had been dreading this part - back in Phase 1, they had slept in big common rooms, with individual cubicles for each kid. She knew none of the others would want to pair with her, so she was hoping there would be some kind of random assignment.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to work it out among yourselves, then anyone who’s left without a pair can come to me for assignment,” Gail instructed.

The noise and movement started up again, as friends paired up and arguments broke out. Hope looked around, starting a little when she realised Merry was still by her side.

"Are you… Do you have someone already?” Merry asked.

“No, obviously.”

Hope checked herself, realising that Merry was asking if she wanted to pair up.

“Oh, sorry. I mean - you want to room together?”

“Yeah, _obviously_ ,” she smiled, making Hope blush again.

“This doesn’t mean I’m doing all your work for you, ok?”

Merry laughed, and Hope laughed too. She moved over to the dormitory chart, and picked a square on the far left side of the map. She wrote their names side by side: Light Hope and Meridea. Hope and Merry, she thought, feeling an unfamiliar warmth in her chest.


	3. Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry and Hope get to know each other better.

“So why did your parents name you Light Hope?” 

Hope and Merry were spread out on their beds, neatly made, at opposite ends of the dorm room. The greyish-blue colour of the bedspreads matched the ceiling, where Hope was staring at the intricate silver engravings of stars across its polymer surface. She could name every constellation without thinking, despite the fact that she’d never seen any of them in person. Looking up from the dead moon called Saeril, the stars appeared to be scattered across the sky in random, meaningless configurations. 

“My parents?” Hope smiled, no longer surprised by Merry’s strangeness. “My parents didn’t name me.”

Merry, on the other hand, couldn’t help being surprised. 

“They didn’t? Is that… Normal?”

“It is in the outer systems. I’ve never met my parents - I couldn’t even tell you their names.”

Merry was staring across at her, with a directness that Hope was only just starting to get used to.

“Most of the kids here have been in a public nursery by the time they were a year old. The earlier, the better - otherwise they develop an attachment to the parents, which can screw up development. We moved into Phase 1 Academy straight from the nursery.”

“Wow.” The look in Merry’s eyes was starting to verge on pity. “I can’t imagine that.”

Hope shrugged, feeling self-conscious.

“Anyway, my name was given to me by my nursery. They have a list of names that they assign at random, meaning there’s probably thousands of other Light Hopes in a hundred other colony systems. I think it’s kind of an old-fashioned name, though. Maybe it’s not common on Eternia any more.”

“Definitely not. It’s pretty, though.”

Hope grimaced, turning her gaze back to the constellations on the ceiling. 

"I guess so. It feels too formal, or something. Like one of the politicians in the Phase 1 history texts.”

Merry giggled. “Councillor Light Hope,” she intoned in her deepest voice, “What is your position on the proposed fuel rations for outlying colony systems?”

Hope laughed, turning on her side to look at Merry again. 

“I think they should try fuel rationing on Eternia for a few months, see how they like it.”

“I think people would riot,” Merry grinned. “I cannot see my mother coping with cold showers for even a day.”

It had been a month since orientation, two weeks since classes had started, but already Hope felt as though Phase 1 was a lifetime away. The dogged rhythm of class-study-sleep had given way suddenly, and now she sighed and fidgeted through lectures with her mind on the end of the day. She would sign out of her last study module at precisely 1600 hours, and take the stairs two at a time to make it up to the dormitory level. Merry was always there before her - she took her last module on level 4 - and Hope had started to anticipate seeing Merry’s expectant smile as she came in. She’d never had a friend before, at least not like Merry. There had been a kid in her Phase 1 academy who used to sit with her during study breaks, but his scores dropped in third year and he got transferred to another system. 

Merry sat up, rolling her head back and forth and stretching.

“You ready?” She yawned.

“Yeah, ok.”

Hope grabbed a portable screen from where it lay on their shared desk space and they moved to the floor, facing each other cross-legged in the space between their beds. 

"Okay, stop me if you did this in Phase 1,” Hope told Merry.

She started every lesson with this question, even though Merry’s answer was usually the same - yes, she covered this in Phase 1 with her parents. No, she didn’t remember how it worked. Helping Merry catch up to the other Phase 2 students was a much bigger job than Hope had realised when she agreed to it, mainly because Merry, or maybe her parents, didn’t seem to have the same concept of discipline that was fundamental in outer systems academies. It didn’t just affect her study either - while Hope had long been able to wake herself up instinctively at 0600 hours, Merry slept blissfully until the 0630 alarm that rang through every dormitory as a warning. A week into this routine, Merry reluctantly agreed that Hope should shake her awake before this happened. 

Hope didn’t mind, though. She told herself that teaching Merry was good revision for herself, but that wasn’t the real reason she agreed to spend every spare hour coaching her roommate in rudimentary physics and maths. Merry felt terribly about it, she could tell, but Hope savoured every moment they spent together in a way that was so unfamiliar to her that she was embarrassed to admit it. Merry asked her questions that no-one else ever had - what was her favourite food? Her favourite colour? Did she really enjoy studying physics? How did it feel growing up without parents? She felt silly at first, because she’d never even asked these of herself, and they felt so peripheral to anything that mattered. But something about the way Merry asked them, as if she really wanted to know the answer, made Hope feel warm, and solid. She kept this feeling tucked away inside her, as if saying it out loud would make it fade away somehow.

—

It was three weeks into classes, and Hope and Merry’s after-hours lessons were progressing at speed. They lay on the floor of their dorm room, Merry working on a maths problem while Hope examined a diagram Merry had just drawn up, scanning for errors.

“Let’s go to dinner tonight.”

Hope looked up blankly from the diagram, not quite processing what Merry had said.

“Sorry?” 

“Dinner? You know, that thing all the other kids go to while we’re studying in our dorm room for the third hour straight?”

“Oh.” Hope looked at her hands. "You wanna stop, then?”

“Yeah, I mean - you know I’m grateful for you doing this, but don’t you wanna have a break, too?”

“Not really,” Hope said quietly. "I mean, you can go, I just prefer to eat here in the room. It’s the same food, anyway.”

Merry was staring at her, trying to meet her gaze, but Hope suddenly felt like she wanted to be alone. She resumed checking the diagram Merry had drawn, studiously ignoring Merry’s obvious confusion.

“Why don’t you talk to the other kids here?”

Hope put down her screen, looking up in exasperation.

“They don’t talk to me."

“Why not?”

“They just don’t, ok? I’d rather not sit in the dining hall with a bunch of people who hate me."

Now Merry looked away. Hope sat frozen with embarrassment, wishing she hadn’t raised her voice. 

“Ok. I’ll see you after dinner, alright?”

“Yeah, alright.” 

She was gone, and Hope was alone. Her throat felt tight, and she cursed herself for being so sensitive. It didn’t matter - Merry could do what she wanted. The room suddenly felt too quiet, though. 

She picked up the screen again, realising with a jolt of surprise that Merry's diagram was perfect - it didn’t need to be corrected at all. 

Merry got back an hour later, to find Hope eating cold stew on her bed. Her eyes flicked up momentarily, and Merry gave a cautious smile. 

“How was dinner?”

“It was nice! The stew’s really good, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

Merry moved about the room, clearing away the study materials, disappearing to change out of her clothes, then settling into her bed with a sigh. Hope ate as quietly as she could, not knowing if Merry wanted to sleep - she just lay there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling with a slight frown. Finally, Hope went to dispose of her tray, coming back to the room a few minutes later wearing the soft grey night-wear issued to each student. It had “SAERIL IMPERIAL ACADEMY” branching out across the chest in spidery blue writing. She opened the control panel at the wall, and powered down the lights - the bluish glow faded slowly as she climbed into her bed with a shiver. Saeril got cold at night.

Hope’s breaths had just settled down into a regular cycle when Merry spoke.

“I sat with Teri and Alina." Her voice was muted, but firm. “They’re sweet. They were nice to me.”

Hope didn’t know how to reply. “That’s nice.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, thinking back to that day at orientation. People just wanted to be near Merry, she thought. Of course that felt nice.

“They don’t hate you.”

Hope closed her eyes, tears threatening to expose her. It was pitch-dark, but her voice would give her away. She didn’t say anything. 

She heard the rustling sound of Merry turning in her sheets, and felt the steady pressure of her gaze. 

“They said you… that you don’t-“

“You were talking about me?” This time Hope couldn’t stop her voice from betraying her. She felt betrayed, too. _Merry was talking about you. Just like the others._

“Not like that, Hope. What happened? They just said you were cold, that you didn’t seem to like anyone. They asked if I knew why. You know, since you talk to me and all.”

“What did you say?” Hope whispered.

“That I didn’t know.”

Hope breathed in, trying to control herself. Her breath shuddered out, and in again. _Don’t panic._

“Did something happen?” Merry asked.

“I don’t know. No. I mean…” Hope couldn’t keep speaking. Her voice was collapsing in on itself with shame. What was wrong with her? She stayed silent. 

Merry stayed silent too, still watching her in the dark. 

“Nothing happened. I don’t know how to explain it, but the other kids just don’t like me.” Hope couldn’t stop now. She needed Merry to understand. "I _know_ they talk about me when I’m not there,” she said desperately, “I’m not _stupid_. I heard Ursa say-“

“Ursa?” Merry’s voice was quiet, but Hope trailed off in surprise at the interruption.

“You might not know him. Red-brown hair, tall. He’s friends with Cass and Mira and those guys.”

“Yeah, I know. Teri mentioned him. And - I think he said something to me on orientation. Like maybe I should go back to Phase 1 or something. It was stupid.”

“Oh.” Hope wasn’t sure what to say, how to continue.

Merry sighed, and Hope heard her shifting in her covers. 

“The point is… It’s not you. Alina and Teri don’t like him, either.”

Hope could feel cold tears creeping down her face now, and she realised she was holding her breath. Could it really be that simple?

“Back on Eternia… We had more time to ourselves. Even though I did my lessons at home, I was allowed to just _hang out_ with the other kids my age. We had to - they said it was good for our social development, or something. I’m glad I came here, really. And you’ve been so kind to me. But don’t… Don't you ever get lonely?”

Hope breathed out. “Yeah.” She felt exposed, awkward. She couldn’t look at Merry. But drifting off to sleep, something felt different, like a pressure had been released inside her that she hadn’t even known was there. 

_Back on Eternia_. Eternia was the centre, the metropolis - everything in the Empire, every colony system that reached out across the galaxy like a giant web of machine circuitry, was meant to originate there. It was home, even if she had never been there - even if her parents had never been there, or their parents. She knew very little about politics, but Hope’s whole life had followed the tightly regimented pathway set out for her by legislators on Eternia. Nursery, basic aptitude tests. Sent to an appropriate Phase 1 academy based on those scores, which could determine with 75% certainty, before she even learned how to bathe herself, what her academic potential was. Classes, tests, study and more classes. No-one had ever asked her if she was lonely before. No-one had ever worried about her _social development_. The more Merry told her about Eternia, the more it seemed like an entirely alien world to the one she knew on Saeril. _Why was it so different?_


	4. Scoreboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few months since I've written anything so this chapter is kinda short. It's set three months into their school year, and scores for their latest exam have just been released.

There was a muttering throng of people blocking the way to the noticeboard, and Merry was getting restless.

“Do we have to check it _right now_?” she whined, above the shouts and groans of the people at the front. 

Hope strained to see over the crowd, but it wasn’t happening. “I guess we could come back later,” she said reluctantly. 

“Just try not to think about it! You’re already top of the class anyway, and this is just one set of results.”

“Don’t you wanna know what you got?” Hope asked.

“Not really. Now come on, I have to show you something.”

As they turned back into the stairwell, Hope heard Alina’s voice ring out after them.

“Merry! Merry come look!”

Hope and Merry exchanged a confused glance and cast around for Alina. She emerged promptly from behind a cluster of third-years, beaming at them. 

“Come on, Teri has a spot at the front. Excuse me. Yeah, we just need to get past, thanks.”

The three of them formed a chain, with Alina leading Merry leading Hope through a hastily cleared path. Teri was there right at the foot of the board, pointing to the top three names with wide eyes. 

  1. URSA (116/120)
  2. LIGHT HOPE (114/120)
  3. MERIDEA (113/120)



Hope looked over at Merry, consciously avoiding eye contact with Ursa, who she was aware of just at the edge of her vision. She laughed in shock, watching Merry’s face as she processed the news.

“Merry!!! You did it!!”

“No, _you_ did,” Merry answered, wrapping Hope in an awkward hug despite the cramped space and their significant height difference. 

“Don’t you dare try and be humble about this,” said Alina, and Hope agreed.

“This is huge,” She insisted. "Three months into Phase 2 and you’ve gone from last place to three out of two hundred! I never thought I would be the one saying this, but we need to celebrate.” 

Merry was looking at Hope skeptically, and Hope realised with a sinking feeling that Merry could tell she was overcompensating. She kept forcing her eyes away from the names on the board, where Ursa’s score was sitting conspicuously above hers for the first time all year. She was furious at herself. Couldn’t she just be happy for her friend?

Teri was talking. “Hey Merry, what about that thing you always talk about from Eternia? Like a… parting? Was that it?”

“Hey, can you guys let the rest of us see the board now?”

They apologised to the people behind them, and moved off towards the stairs.

“It’s a party,” corrected Merry. “And… I’m not sure. I don’t really know if it would work here.”

“Of course it would,” said Hope, recovering her enthusiasm. “We can have fun, right?”

“Besides, I know our break isn’t as long as you _Eternians_ are used to, but I reckon the other first-year kids would be excited to celebrate the end of our first test period.”

Merry looked doubtfully at Hope again, but she couldn’t help being excited, and Hope relaxed. 

“Ok, but we have to do this properly, which means it has to be a secret from Gail. No way she’s gonna be okay with us having actual fun.”

Later, back in their dormitory, Hope and Merry were getting ready to go to sleep, buzzing with excitement from their planning session with Teri and Alina. 

“Ok, but how are we gonna have music loud enough to dance to but still keep it a secret? I know Gail isn’t here at night, but there’s always _someone_.”

“We can just do it on a night when Lian’s here. She would let us off, no question.”

“No-one here even listens to music, really. I still think your player would be confiscated if Gail knew about it.”

Hope was about to turn out the lights, when Merry sat up suddenly.

“Wait, I never asked - are you ok? Just today, with the scores, you seemed… About Ursa, I mean.”

“It’s fine, Merry. I can’t expect to be top of the class all year, right? I just wish it was someone else that beat me, is all.” Hope was feeling surprisingly indifferent about her score, having distracted herself all day with plans and celebrations. “Hey - what was it you wanted to show me earlier?”

“Oh! I completely forgot— wait, just give me a minute.” Merry was out of bed, then rummaging haphazardly through the compartment that held her clothes. She pulled out a small paper sleeve, then a kind of electric lamp with an oddly-shaped base, placing them both on the desk. Hope got up too, eager to see what it was.

“So I’ll have to set it up properly tomorrow, cause we need to water it, but just look.” She hooked her fingers around the base of the lamp, and Hope saw that it had a lid, which Merry removed. Inside was something Hope had never seen before, and Merry laughed at her reaction.

“Where is this from?”

Inside the box was a few handfuls of rich brown soil, dry but obviously filled with organic matter. Hope was filled with the urge to sink her fingers into it. 

“It’s from Eternia. My parents sent it as a gift, cause I said I was homesick. They got permission from Gail and everything. But look at these seeds.” She poured out a few light brown seeds from the paper sleeve into her upturned palm. 

“They’re the same as the ones we have in our garden back home - we can just plant one or two, and they’ll grow into these beautiful orange flowers. And this light—“

She switched on the lamp for a few seconds. “—is designed to mimic the sunlight on Eternia, so they’ll grow just as well as they would back home.” Merry’s eyes were lit up in the way they always were when she talked about home, and Hope felt the same joy as she held a couple of the seeds in her fingers. They looked like brown, clumsily-made beads, and they weighed almost nothing. Hope marvelled that something so small and light could grow into a real living plant. 

“This is incredible,” she breathed. 

That night, Hope promised herself that she would stop worrying about Ursa. In that tiny dorm room as she lay quiet and content across from her best friend, the world suddenly seemed so much bigger than petty academic rivalries. 


End file.
